EOTO Reaction #2

During the second round of EOTO presentations, we were presented with lessons about both the positive and negative sides of the Reconstruction Era.

We learned about the Negro Motorist Green Book which was established in 1936 by Victor Hugo Green. This established safe travel for African Americans by creating community and security for them. The book was published in 1966 and became a symbol of resistance against racial inequality. 

We also learned about the Wilmington Massacre of 1898. This is the only know violent overthrow of the legally elected government. This occurred as a group attempted to dismantle the biracial government in Wilmington. This lead to the death of between 60 and 300 African Americans and led to their dispersion. During the massacre white supremacists targeted black business and households with violent acts. This reversed progress and emboldened similar actions in other parts of the south. 

We were taught about sundown towns which excluded non-whites from coming out into the town after sunset. This made it clear that African Americans were not welcome in these areas. Some towns even had signs up or sounded sirens at sunset. There were about 2,400 of these towns all across the United States.

The horrors of lynchings were also pointed out to us as one of the darkest chapters of violent racial acts. Lynching is the killing of an individual who had not undergone a fair trial. False accusations were often used as a way to justify the extreme brutalities and murders. These became public spectacles and were a way to induce terror. One famous lynching was that of Emmett Till who was beat and then shot in the head before being thrown into a river. News of this event spread like wildfire due to his mother's decision to have an open casket at the funeral.

The last negative we learned about was The Birth of a Nation which was a movie based on The Clansmen. It was a largely inaccurate representation of historical events including Lincoln's assassination, the reconstruction movement, and the KKK.

We also learned about many events on the positive side of reconstruction. One of these events was Executive Order 9981 which was signed by President Truman. This was triggered by discrimination seen among African American veterans. It fought for compliance in desegregation and the dismantling of discriminatory practices. It also advocated for desegregated workplaces.

African Americans in WWII was where the idea for Executive Order 9981 came from. They made significant contributions at home and on the battlefield. More than 1 million African Americans served in the military during this time. They were initially assigned to segregated units as cooks, truck drivers, and laborers, but they persistently campaigned with leadership and skill in battle.

We were taught about Thurgood Marshall who joined the NAACP as a staff lawyer and was declared Chief in 1940. He worked to create legal assault for racial prejudice. He also became a Supreme Court on which his most famous case was Brown v. Board of Education.

Porgy and Bess was the first African American opera which was produced during a time of segregation. It portrays a black disabled man who helps a woman seek refuge from her boyfriend. This opera had an all African American cast which forced people to accept that segregation was starting to deteriorate. 

The final event we learned about was the rise of the second KKK which targeted African Americans, Catholics and Jews. The new klan used modern marketing to grow its influence. It serves as a reminder of how hate can fuel violent movements. 

All of these events are important to our history as they show us how we came to live in the America that stands today.